A Description of the Morphosynthatic Structure of the Suba Language

Abstract

A systematic description of a language empowers a language for public use, gives it a utilitarian value and also preserves it for future generations. This paper presents a description of the morphosyntactic structure of the Suba language of Kenya. The study is guided by the theory of Distributed Morphology: An approach which highlights the fact that the machinery of what traditionally has been called morphology is not a single component of grammar but rather is distributed among several different components. Data was collected in Mfangano Island because the Island is a homogeneous set up of Suba indigenous people. Focus group discussion was used to collect a corpus of the Suba language. Elicitation was employed as backup methods of data collection. This study contributes immensely to linguistic scholarship; it is an addition to the repertoire of knowledge on linguistic description. To the Suba, the study is expected to confer a certain status on their language that was previously considered to be of little importance; it will give them a sense of equality and worth.